Another You
by le.etoile
Summary: Usually the one-year mark is something to be celebrated. For Orihime, it's just the countdown until she has to tell Ichigo the one thing she wants to hide from him forever. IchiHime/HichiHime


_I've had this written for a little while now. I've only gotten around to posting it recently, because I was worried about putting it up for certain reasons, but I was too paranoid. XD Uh, here this is anyway! T-Try to enjoy! Dedicated to Nagi!_

* * *

_i._

It was almost a year.

He couldn't believe it himself. Sure, Inoue Orihime was a kind, gentle soul who never disliked people, but he still couldn't believe she actually put up with him for so long. He wasn't exactly the best company.

As his hand found hers, Kurosaki Ichigo let his fingers tangle with her slim digits. She had snapped out of her thoughts, her focus on the trigonometry homework they were assigned hours before broken, and looked up to the boy grasping her hand in curiosity. Maybe it was corny or overdone, but Orihime couldn't help but take in his facial features, memorizing every crease and line, every expression and the air about him. She knew this one well, and it made a blush rise up in her cheeks and travel down to her neck. Dark, intense brown eyes, half-lidded with his lids partially open; she knew what he was thinking, or at least wanted.

"Inoue..." Was the single word that left those lips. He always said her name so fluidly and smooth, it sent shivers coursing down her back. Pursing her own lips together, she could only prepare herself now for what he would do to her every time he looked at her like _that_.

Connecting his lips to hers, Ichigo tightened his hold on her small hand just slightly, giving it a small squeeze. His free hand that kept to the floor moved itself away from the cold surface, travelling up her arm, casually brushing over her exposed skin until he could laced it around the back of her neck. He angled her neck back, slanting his lips over hers so he could kiss her deeper. This was a common occurrence. Homework would often be discarded in the afternoons to make room for kissing or hugging.

A week from one whole year; next Saturday to be exact.

Ichigo had refrained from going any further than kissing her during that period of time, wanting to get to know her better as well as go by her own pace, rather than rush things into a physical level neither of them was ready for.

He'd make their anniversary special, even though he didn't know quite what he'd do yet. He wasn't even sure Orihime kept track of the days herself. The shinigami did, only because it was as if there was a whole new sun in his life after he started dating her. Before things used to be so bleak and dull, but with her around, it was just unexplainable.

The healer's small palms and digits slipped under his arms and around to his back, letting her fingers latch onto his white school shirt. It was obvious she loved the way he made her feel, whether it was more heated kissing like this or just those simple times he held her tenderly. He could say the same thing about her. Even having her around, like now as they did their homework together (or rather, attempted to), made him happy enough.

A week.

He'd have a week to think of something, Ichigo noted in a fog, sliding his lips over hers and then onto her cheek and down her neck. Placing light butterfly kisses on her smooth skin, he knew he could figure something out. All he wished was that nothing wrong in between then.

_ii._

Orihime was a person Ichigo could not get enough of. Even on Sunday, the only day they didn't have school, he yearned to see his long-time girlfriend, whether it be for five minutes or for hours on end, although he preferred the latter. This Sunday was different though.

It was just a single phone call. She had gotten sick and guiltily requested he stay away just so he wouldn't catch whatever she had. Ichigo had offered to bring her over soup or something to help, saying he wouldn't be there long so she could get some rest, but she immediately declined, snapped even. Her quick yelp of 'No!' nearly scared the wits out of the redheaded boy, but that might've just meant she was sicker than he thought. Perhaps she didn't want him to see her in such a frail, weakened state?

The thought of leaving her alone in her apartment, sick as a dog didn't sit well with him at all, but he didn't want to get on Orihime's bad side either (not that she really had one). He could only wish her to get better soon and to call him immediately if something happened.

At first he received a silence as a response to his own request. The quiet was odd, making Ichigo wonder if she had fallen asleep or something while on the phone. But she soon mumbled her understandings and said her goodbyes. He reluctantly said his own goodbyes and hung up, feeling a nagging guilt eat away at him from the inside. Something felt wrong, but he couldn't place a finger on it. Maybe she'd shed some more light on the matter on it later.

_iii._

She had been left there, panting and aching, exposed on more than just a physical level. The night was upon them, and although the room was dark and engulfing them both, she could still make out his eyes. The mix of those amber and golden eyes, staring so hard at her as if they were delving deep into her soul.

"For safe measure... Why don't you tell me what you'll do tomorrow?" Orihime kept silent for another moment, refusing to comply with the person's wishes while her eyes drifted off to the side.

Her disobedience had him growl, the noise reverberated in his chest cavity, before snapping his hand to her chin, cupping her face and forcing her to look directly into his eyes. "You'll fucking look at me when I talk to you," he hissed, his nails digging into her skin. It wasn't quite enough to draw blood, but it was still painful and it made her wince. "Now tell me."

She blinked slowly, fighting back tears. The last thing she wanted to do was expose her emotional side even further in front of this person. He would only find tears to be enjoyable and who knows what else he would do to her.

"... Don't tell Kurosaki-kun," she whispered bitterly, her bottom lip quivering. She could see the sinister smile grace his face as he lowered himself onto her, meeting her lips with his and forcing a hard kiss.

"That's a good girl," he smirked, speaking between hard kisses and occasional probing of his tongue into her delectable mouth. "You're ours..." He spoke slowly, never breaking eye contact with hers. "I was going to wait and see if the King actually did anything for a whole fucking year. But if he's not going to move his lazy ass, I'm going to take what he's too much of a pansy to take himself."

Rising himself off of her, the stranger removed himself off her bed, leaving her half-naked form to lie there alone. "So prepare yourself for tomorrow night," he warned, grabbing a hold of his shirt he had discarded previously from the floor. "Because you _will_ be fucked... Literally."

With her eyes growing larger, she sat up just the same, taking the sheet with her to cover herself up. "W-Wait!" She called out, hoping he would stop from exiting the door. He didn't and merely chuckled on his way out.

"See you later... Princess."

_iv._

Monday morning was odd, at least to Ichigo. For some reason or another, Orihime couldn't have been gladder to see him. Perhaps being sick over the weekend, rendering either one of them unable to see one another, made her miss him just as much as he did her. Pressing a quick kiss to his woman's lips, despite being in public, he showed her how he missed seeing her through his actions, rather than words. Even smiling into the kiss made her aware of just how much he was glad to have her back.

"I missed you," he spoke against her lips, still smiling.

"... Me too..." Orihime responded just as quietly. She couldn't bring herself to smile the same though; instead just keep a straight face and keep close to him, relishing in _Ichigo's_ body heat and tender hug. Something that his other purposely refused to provide.

The bell that alarmed the students class would start rang out, having Ichigo hesitantly pull away from Orihime. "See you on the roof?" He asked simply, just double checking their lunch agreement.

But there was that silence again. She only looked at him, not saying a word. A few moments passed before she had actually done something, which was nothing more than a nod and an obviously forced smile. She treated as if she had given him a normal, enthusiastic response like she used to, and returned to her seat as to not get scolded by their homeroom teacher.

Ichigo was left standing by the doorway, his hand reaching to the back of his neck to scratch it in confusion. It was a Monday, he told himself. _Everyone_ was off on Mondays, and Orihime being off on one of them shouldn't be considered odd. After all, she was completely fine.

... Wasn't she?

_v._

"Oh, fuck..." He hissed, groaning as he pulled out and forced himself back into the woman below him. "So tight..." He let go of another growl as he bowed his head into her pale, exposed shoulder. She could only whimper and moan to herself, tears slipping out as he thrusted hard and fast into her fragile form.

_Why..._ She asked herself, eyes glazing over as she opened them to stare at nothing in particular. Why was he so interested in hurting her? Could she have prevented this from happening? Why had she not said any words to make him stop? If anything, she only begged and goaded him on with her mindless moans. Orihime squeaked in surprise as his warm mouth latched onto her heavy breast and suckled on it just as hard, his tongue lavishing it in time with his pounding.

She was a horrible person. Horrible, dirty, and undeserving of Ichigo's love.

Why? Because here she laid now, taking in, as well as accepting, his hollow's lust. His hollow had no love, he was purely instinctual. Ichigo was the one with the love, but she still found herself thinking that this man above her was exactly him. He had orange hair, tanned, built form, with the only exception of piercing golden eyes.

He continued to hit a particular spot with every deep thrust, making her cry out higher and higher, raising in octaves. The lavished attention he gave to her generous chest didn't help the situation, and she could only feel the hot coil in her abdomen curl tighter and tighter. She could feel something happening, something familiar to the rest of the experiences from before, yet not quite accomplished like this. Gripping his hair in her hands, Orihime yelled out as a blinding white bliss fogged her senses, making her toes curl and the rest of her body feel like she was melting away. Her own release must've triggered the hollow's above her, as he pumped himself into her in shorter, faster bursts before giving out his own into her supple body.

His hollow could see Ichigo's memories, dreams, wants and needs, and even though the shinigami had yet to experience it himself, he could tell this was better than they'd ever imagined. Maybe it was the sex himself, or maybe it was because of the woman he was doing it with. Either way, it was much different than either of them had ever imagined, but it wasn't bad either. _Oh hell no, this wasn't bad at all._

"... Saturday..." The hollow grumbled, turning his head just slightly to lap at the corner of his lover's neck and shoulder with his tongue. Mumbling out an inaudible question, Orihime dropped her hands quick back to the sheet beneath her. She couldn't believe she had been holding his _hollow_ so tightly like that. It was as if she was afraid to let go. But perhaps she was; but not so much of his hollow, but Ichigo himself. "You'll tell him on Saturday..."

"W-What?" She breathed, her chest heaving in an attempt to catch her breath. He continued to lap at that particular spot, only making her blush all over again. "W-Why Saturday?"

"What, you don't want to tell Kingy how you just got fucked by his hollow?" He blanched, pulling away for a moment to smirk at the healer. Orihime flushed hard and threw her head to look the other way, unsure of how to answer the question. "I don't mind you telling him," he continued, bringing his head back down to her neck. "It'll be good for him to know that he finally got laid."

"... B-But why?" She croaked, raising a single hand to wipe away at straying tears. "H-How could you do this?" Her voice was just as quiet as the silent room, the only noises being made where her sniffling and both of their heavy breathing.

Just then, he bit into her neck, making her cry out with a startled gasp. The pain was quick, like a pinch, and she could feel the tears gushing out quicker. He had definitely drawn blood, but he was busy lapping it up with his warm tongue, almost as if it was a delectable treat.

"And how could you be so willing, princess?" He asked nonchalantly, secretly admiring the mark. At least she had proof of them being theirs now. "You're such a whore."

Her sobbing grew louder and as soon as the bleeding appeared to stop, the being that _looked_ like her boyfriend pulled himself out and off of her, as if he didn't care about a thing in the world as he pulled his underwear and jeans back on.

"You'll tell him on Saturday," he told her, his tone clearly ordering her, not requesting it. "And I'm his instinct, plain and simple. He wants to fuck you so bad, but is too worried of ruining your relationship. It's only right that I take that step for him since he's too much of a weakling to do anything."

"K-Kurosaki-kun isn't weak!" She cried out, snapping herself upright. She felt so emotionally warped right now, she didn't even think about how she was exposing herself by sitting up. The hollow sneered at her free chest, half-tempted to chuck the pants off and go at another round. However, it was almost early morning and they still had school. Unless they wanted Ichigo to suspect something, he had to get his ass back to his own bed.

"Didn't know you were such an exhibitionist," he teased, enjoying watching her face flush up before pulling the blanket over her chest. "But how could he be so 'strong' if he doesn't even notice his hollow's being quieter than usual? Or how he wakes up positively _bathed_ in your reiatsu?" Chuckling to himself, he bent back over to find his shirt. "I almost wish he was bad at sensing your reiatsu, but you're about the only one he can identify. Poor bastard thought it was because he's around you so much, not being his precious girlfriend is romping around with his-"

"Just stop!" Orihime cried out, her heart ripping further in agony with his every word. Every sentence, each change in tone just made her more and more afraid of how she would break this terrible news to Ichigo. His hollow smirked again after pulling the shirt over his orange head.

"I won't bug you anymore, my little princess," he promised, speaking just a few inches from her lips. "But good luck explaining to King why you're walking funny for the next few days and that bite mark on your neck." He then forced a hard kiss, making her squeak and groan at the sudden forcefulness. "You'll only be seeing me again if Ichigo doesn't get his act together. But I doubt you'd be able to get him to have sex with you. He'll keep being worried about your stupid relationship."

_Slap._

Her hand tingled and so did his cheek. The blow to his face was unexpected from both of them, but he would just not _stop._ With his head turn sideways from the slap, he chose to only slide his eyes back, to the corners of his eyes. He sneered again, amusement sparkling in his eyes. "Feisty... I like that." His words and tone made the healer shudder hard, but her eyes kept connected with his stare, clearly upset but unyielding.

Laughing to himself, the monster in Ichigo's body took simple strides to and out the door, letting Orihime cry herself to sleep until she would awake for school.

_vi._

The following days after the events of that horrid Monday were pure torture for the gentle healer. She ached all over, but more embarrassingly, it hurt most where she would rather not think about. Even after the first couple days, she thought she would've felt at least a bit better, but her neck continued to throb when she grew nervous or when she accidentally brushed it. That was the thing she tried to hide the most. With a big enough bandage, her shirt collar, and her long auburn hair, she managed to hide it somewhat well from her dear boyfriend. But the insistent tingling and pain from it kept as a reminder of what she had done.

She betrayed Ichigo. And even sitting in her bathtub for hours, scrubbing her skin away never made her feel any better. It was a miracle he hadn't questioned the few red spots on her skin, areas she tried to wash the unclean feeling away from.

Smiling never seemed to hurt so much either. Orihime really did try her best to put on a normal façade for Ichigo, whether it was during school or at one of their houses afterwards, doing homework. She would slip up a few times, saying or acting more downhearted than she usually was, but he didn't seem to pay too much attention to it. The few times he did ask her about it, she mumbled back an almost inaudible 'Nothing'. As much as he wanted her to open up to him, because he knew she wasn't happy for some reason or another, he wasn't going to force her. So he merely resorted to brushing her bangs off to the side and planting a light kiss to her forehead, all while telling her, 'I'm here if you need it.'

She knew he was, and in more ways than one. That's what hurt worst.

Saturday grew closer, and Ichigo couldn't be more nervous. They had school that day, but he still planned on whisking her to the park for something along the lines of a dinner of sorts. It was a cheesy thing to do, but he thought she might appreciate the more than normal romantic gesture. Admittedly, he even bought her a necklace too. Maybe it was border lining overboard too, with the necklace gift, but she really meant a lot to him, and although words could get the message across, sometimes a little bit of action helped back it up.

It was a simple necklace, really, but it would still look really good on her. Eighteen inch silver chain with a similar silver flower pendant, adorned with some light blue rhinestones, like the color of her hairpins. He remembers the comments well from the shopkeeper he bought it from, all the times he asked who is secret lover was and why he was so flustered while buying it.

Ichigo shook his head free of those less than proud moments and glanced back at his girlfriend a few rows back and to the left in class.

Friday. Only one more day.

She looked so peaceful, in actuality, zoning out the window rather than focusing on the lesson. He wanted to grin and try to imagine what she was daydreaming about (assuming she was), even if he wouldn't be able to keep up.

But that's when her face melted. Not literally, of course, but the nonchalant, zoned expression she once wore faded into a sad on, her lips starting to quiver as her eyebrows fell subtly. His previously amused smile he wore was now replaced with his usual scowl, inwardly worrying his head off as to why she looked so upset. She seemed more lethargic and a bit quieter than usual, but for the life of him he couldn't find a reason why. There had been nothing changing in their relationship that he knew of. Unless it had been something he said recently?

Scrunching his eyes and sighing lightly, he returned his focus to the textbook in front of him. He wouldn't pester, but he'd ask again. He'd ask Orihime again later if she was alright, and he'd make sure he'd get an answer.

_vii._

"... I don't feel so good..." Admitted Orihime in a quiet voice as the two stood by the student shoe bank. Ichigo halted slipping his street shoes back on and looked at her incredulously. His heart was pounding and he was as nervous as hell for today, their one year anniversary, and she just told him she was sick.

Swallowing thickly, Ichigo had to remind himself to keep his cool, not lose focus. They could still be together today. Maybe she'd let him take care of her. "You still sick from last weekend?" He asked, immediately noticing that could very well be the explanation for her recent behavior. She just nodded and kept her eyes glued to the floor. Orihime didn't particularly want to make eye contact with him when she knew he could read her so easily.

Not caring about whoever else saw, Tatsuki, Keigo, whatever, he wrapped his arm around her waist, tight enough to hold her up, but loose enough as to not hurt her. The bold action caused her eyes to rise and meet his, her cheeks flushed. Smiling, he let his thumb rub in circles on the white fabric of her shirt.

"We'll get you home, okay?" He told her reassuringly, trying to be gentle with her. He thought he did something wrong because she looked liked she wanted to just cry after his kind words. Scrunching his face in worry, Ichigo just held her close with hope she wouldn't shed any tears.

The walk to her small apartment was very much quiet, nothing more than the sounds of their feet hitting the pavement and Orihime's occasional sigh. Every once in a while, he'd give her side a little squeeze and a smile, albeit faintly. She'd always look up confused, but her eyes would read that she was appreciative of his gesture.

Getting into her apartment was easy. A click of the lock with her key and they were both in. What the hard part was what to do with her. It would be best to keep her in her room, where she could sleep while he did, well... He didn't quite know what either. Make soup? He decided he'd figure out what to do _after_ he got his sickened girlfriend into bed, under the covers.

Shuffling them both into her bedroom was the next step, followed by sitting her down on the edge of her bed. She aimed to take off her shoes and socks, but he gently batted her hand away and did it for her. That silence was becoming deafening the longer neither of them said a word.

A sniffle.

It caused Ichigo to look from her (cute) foot to her face, to find the healer's eyes brimmed with tears. He dropped the shoe he was holding and immediately took her hands into his, before she could raise them to her eyes instead.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Ichigo asked quietly, now noticing she kept her gaze focused to her lap, rather than at him. She just shook her head, another sob escaping her. Squeezing her hands, he changed his earlier decision. If she was going to cry in front of him, he _was_ going to be persistent. "Come on, Inoue, talk to me..."

"Why..." Orihime mumbled out, her hands starting to shake. He noticed this as well and moved himself closer, inwardly confused as hell. "Why are you so kind to me?" It was then when the redhead raised her head and met sad, tearful eyes with his amber brown ones.

"What...?" Ichigo blanched, tilting his head to the side in bewilderment. "What kind of question is that?" He started to chuckle a bit, a small smirk gracing his lips. "You're my girlfriend... Why wouldn't I be kind to you?"

Her head shook left to right again, a sound of disapproval coming from her. "Y-You shouldn't..." She stuttered, testing the waters by attempting to pull her hands out of his grasp. He didn't yield, seeing as he just held onto them tighter.

"Give me a reason I shouldn't then," he told her, his voice a bit stern, but still gentle enough as to not scare her. He wanted a straight answer, but he knew he wouldn't help either one of them if he resorted to yelling. She shook her head once more and tried to pull her hands away again.

"I-I can't..." She whispered, her eyes falling to her lap in shame.

"You can..." He assured her, holding her palms and digits tight. He refused to let her go. "Whatever it is, I'm sure I can handle it."

"Not this."

Ichigo's face fell and he felt a sense of defeat within him. She was really adamant against telling him, and quite frankly, it made him more than worried. Did she not trust him anymore? Was she not really sick, but worse, thinking all this week about wanting to break up with him? That would be another thing that explained her behavior.

Sighing dejectedly, he released her hands and instead captured her in a hug. For some reason she attempted to struggle against him, but knowing he wouldn't give up with that either resorted her to sobbing into his chest.

"Look..." He started gruffly, mumbling into her auburn hair. "I know we've been together for a long time..." He didn't want to admit it, but these words needed to be said. "But if you're thinking I shouldn't be kind to you because you don't like me like you used to anymore, I'd prefer you just tell me, rather than-"

"No!" She suddenly yelped, wrapping her arms around his midsection tightly, her crying growing significantly louder. "I could never hate you!" She told him quickly, her words gushing out. "I just... don't want _you_ hating _me_..." The last part was significantly lower and quieter than the rest, and the crying only seemed to garble her words together.

Baffled, Ichigo backed away, just enough to give some space between them, and placed a hand on her cheek. "Inoue... Why in the world do you think I would _ever_ hate you?"

She kept silent, eyes clearly full of regret and guilt as she pulled away, despite Ichigo's silent protests of keeping her closer. Her small hand drifted towards her red bow, taking no time, no hesitation to pull at the clasp and make it come undone. It fluttered down onto her lap, and she followed by undoing the first few buttons of her top. Ichigo's face grew red, abashed at why she was unbuttoning her shirt in front of him.

"I-Inoue, what are you-"

But then he saw it; the bandage on her neck. He didn't mean for his eyes to drift lower, but he couldn't help but notice the slight blue-purple discoloration by her breasts as well, small spots in different areas. If he wasn't mistaken, they were bruises.

"Please take it off..." She told him quietly, her eyes still avoiding his. "T-Take the bandage off and see how horrible I am..."

He wanted to firmly disagree that she was _not_ horrible, but he could only swallow hard and tentatively reach out in front of him, his fingertips just barely grazing the white covering before her breath hitched and she gasped. Clearly whatever was under this was painful. The notion of her being hurt made Ichigo's stomach flip, but he had to force himself to continue. This discussion was nothing but serious, and he'd be damned if he backed out because he got sick from a stupid thought.

Pulling off the bandage, slowly of course, what lay behind the white covering made his stomach flip even further.

Teeth marks. It was still healing over, but it was obvious someone had bitten her, and _hard. _

"Oh shit..." He cursed, eyes wide. His fingers ghosted over her skin, not on the injury, but around it as to not hurt her. There was something awfully familiar about that painful row of marks brandishing her otherwise fair skin. He couldn't entirely explain it, but that particular area felt heavier, darker even. "I-Inoue..." He choked her name out, looking back at her in concern. Her eyes were heavy with tears and her lips trembled as she shakily latched onto his arm, the one extended towards her and her neck.

"I-I'm so sorry," she apologized, the words all mumbling out. "P-Please don't hate me, Kurosaki-kun..." Sure, he was still aghast at her neck, wondering who the hell would bite his girlfriend on the neck, on top of leave bruises on and around her breasts. But then his heart dropped with the realization that someone had touched her inappropriately, and she was apologizing like there was no end. What if she was...?

Cupping her cheeks with his hands, he neared his face towards her, silently pleading. "Inoue, who did this?" His voice was stern, but it was still clear he was worried as hell. She just shook her head again, scrunching her eyes closed and letting a few tears slip down her cheek and onto his fingers. Barely inches away from her lips, he pleaded again. "Please..." He just about kissed her too when she slipped out one, lone word. A word that made his eyes shoot completely open and freeze completely in his spot.

"Hollow."

Hollow... His hollow? That would certainly explain the dark aura around her bite mark.

He could feel bits of him crumbling away inside, mainly his resolve and his previous happiness. Now he was left with remorse and guilt, feeling himself fall because _his_ hollow did this to her. Because _he _was too weak to protect her from himself.

But at the same time, he couldn't help but feel like he needed to hide that. The more pitiful he looked, the worse it would be for both of them.

So instead he forced a smile, one of those painfully obvious tensed smiles he was infamous for when upset. He knew she would be able to tell, seeing as she knew almost _everything_ about him, but it was better than looking upset.

"Why would I hate you over that?" He asked simply, his voice obviously strained. "It was my fault for not noticing earlier."

"K-Kurosaki-kun..." She whimpered, her hands travelling tentatively to fist his shirt in her hands. It was so obvious she could sense his pain, and wanted to do nothing more than to fix it. At the same time, she wanted her own pain, her own guilt to go away as well. Perhaps they could reach a common ground and fix this together. After all, the hollow only did what he did because Ichigo feared for taking their relationship too fast. Orihime was only responding the same because she must've subconsciously wanted the same thing. As much as she loved just being by Ichigo, there were definitely times that she wanted to be more with him.

He really did try to keep his eyes on hers, but there was just so much anguish in his and hers, it made him want to look away. However, it was as if some silent message passed through them, a similar thought that had them both on the same page. Nearing himself, Ichigo slowly captured his lips with hers, at first pressing light kisses to her soft, pliable mouth. Orihime let her eyes flutter closed and she shyly kissed him back just the same, starting out slow and gentle.

Nothing had changed, in a good way of course. Compared to the forcefulness of his hollow before, now was just the same as every other time and she loved it. He was taking his time, not rushing into things. It really did make her feel special, feeling like he really wanted to treat her well.

His tongue started to trace over her lips, silently requesting entrance. As her hands slipped from the front of his shirt to his neck, Orihime let her hands tangle in his bright orange hair, complying by opening her lips just slightly. His tongue slipped into her moist cavern and Orihime let out a light sigh, a bit of heat rising in her cheeks.

Ichigo hoped she didn't mind as he nudged his way between her knees. He was kneeling on his knees at this point, while she still sat on her bed, but this only made them closer together than they were before. Groaning on his own, he thoroughly took in her taste, an unexplainable one, but it was something that always had him coming back for more. The feeling of her slender fingers digging into his thick locks and pulling just slightly had him groaning again, albeit quieter. Clearly she was very okay with what they were doing.

"K-Kurosaki-kun..." She mumbled against his warm lips, her tongue beginning to battle with his. His hands slipped down to her hips where he pulled her closer, her thighs tightly clamped around his torso. For a moment, Ichigo pulled away, resting his forehead on hers.

"Are you okay with this, Inoue...?" He asked quietly, his hot breath fanning over her swollen lips. "With... whatever might happen between us?" She nodded to herself, mouthing the word 'yes.' Her silent agreement had him press a light kiss to her cheek, her rose-colored cheek due to the heat she was beginning to feel. His lips fell from her face, giving small butterfly kisses along her jaw and down her neck. He hadn't wanted to hurt her though, so he kept to the other side of her neck, the one without the bite.

Mumbling his name again, Orihime's breathing grew heavier, her breath hitching in her throat. This attention made her feel truly loved, but she only wished she could do something to show him how she felt as well, despite the recent hollow situation. Tilting her head to the side, her auburn hair spilled down her back, away from her shoulders to expose her pale neck. She could feel him smirking faintly against her skin and it made her face flush further. Not to mention his large, warm hands that were currently pulling her school shirt out, un-tucking it from the waist band of her skirt.

Letting her own hands drift towards his neck, she let her own digits toy with the edges of his hair, her heartbeat playing a quick, but steady tattoo in her ears. For now, she'd let Ichigo do as he pleased. After all, she owed that much to him for already being with his hollow. His hollow was instinct, so maybe it was still Ichigo... But without that love there, it just wasn't the same.

His fingertips just barely grazing her skin sent electrifying shocks to them both. Ichigo felt it from his finger tips to his toes, and Orihime merely shuddered from the new sensation on the flat planes of her stomach. His hands kept planted on her sides, her curves, as he continued to slowly plant kisses down her neck, even to the exposed area from earlier, when she took off her bow and unbuttoned her shirt. There was just enough skin showing that allowed kissing to just above her cleavage, and once he got there, his hands slowly, but surely started to slide upwards. Orihime gasped, a little unsuspecting to his travelling hands, at least under her shirt. He had moved them to other places before, but not quite like this.

"... You okay?" He asked heatedly, pulling his lips away and up to press a light kiss to hers. Orihime merely nodded, half-dazed. Moving his hand up just an inch closer, his thumb brushed by the underside of her breast, causing her to flinch again momentarily. Ichigo's eyes asked the same question again, slightly widened in some concern. Yet she nodded again, not minding it at all. It was startling, yes, but it's not like it felt bad. In actuality, as embarrassing as it was, it feltgood.

His hand brushed over the side of her breast again, eliciting a quick gasp from her and her hands threading themselves back into his bright orange hair. Orihime's back arched slightly closer to him, instinctively allowing him to continue further if he pleased. Instead, he removed his hand from her shirt entirely, leaving her suddenly chillier and a bit dejected. Opening her foggy eyes, she saw Ichigo smirking at her, his eyes dark with _something_ she couldn't explain, only that it made her shiver and for some reason, want him more.

Ichigo didn't need to say a word to explain what he was doing, while his fingertips trailed over the rest of her buttons, popping each individual one from its hole. Once done, the front outline of Orihime's light pink bra was shown to him, but the rest of her was covered up by the shirt. He wanted to grin further, knowing just the brush of his hand over her shoulders, and her shirt would be pushed off her small body.

Doing just that, he held the collar of her shirt and pulled it down, away and off her shoulders, all while pestering her neck with more kisses. With a fling of the shirt to the floor, Orihime was one less clothing piece away from being completely open and exposed to him. The delicious thought made him give out his own shiver before placing his hands on her waist again, letting his battle worn palms and digits run over her temptingly smooth skin. Before long, he found his hands nearing her covered mounds, fingers twitching against the lacy fabric.

Mumbling out her name, he decided to just go for it and stretch his hand as best he could over her breast. He attempted to kiss her at the same time, muffling her half-squeak, half-whimper upon his sudden action. Flexing, gripping, releasing, he kept it into a pattern, molding and kneading her breast. He could feel his own cheeks heating up noticeably, unbelieving of how it was so pliable and soft. He'd really never felt anything quite like it. Stretching his other hand up, he did the same to her other one, squeezing it in time with one another. More whimpers escaped her lovely lips, and he did his best to capture every single one with his mouth.

This was when things started to change. Orihime's back continued to arch into his grip, but her hands fell from his neck to the buttons of his own shirt. Undoing them out one by one, just as he did with hers, the healer seemed insistent on getting him out of his shirt just the same. She grew frustrated with herself and once halfway done, she just decided to ditch that idea and laid her palms flat against his tan skin. Hissing, Ichigo never knew what her gentle touch could feel like once she touched him other than holding hands, or the occasional brushing of their arms.

"Just what kind of game are you wanting to play...?" He groaned, leaning in to plant a kiss between her breasts, a single hand leaving its spot to travel backwards and find the clasp for the contraption that kept her confined.

"N-No game..." She whimpered, running her hands down his chest, brushing over old scars. Clamping her legs around his torso tighter, she groaned his name. "Kurosaki-kun..." It was at the same moment she said his name that, by some magical force that allowed him to pop the restraints free on the first try, her bra became looser and easily slipped off her shoulders. Naturally, he couldn't help but stare at what he believed to be the most amazing (and only) pair of breasts he'd ever seen. Then again, it was Orihime and he absolutely loved everything about her. But there was one thing bothering him about them.

The bruises.

"... I'm so sorry..." Ichigo apologized solemnly, wanting to hug her, yet she seemed bent on covering herself with her arms, almost ashamed.

"I-It wasn't you, Kurosaki-kun..." She openly told him, because it honestly wasn't him. His instinct, yes, but it wasn't the Kurosaki-kun she fell in love with either. But then again, she had to accept that other part of his, and soon. It was still part of his character, as awful as it seemed.

Keeping a hand resting on her hip with the other tentatively touching each individual bruise, Ichigo's eyes narrowed in defeat, still unbelieving he had caused her so much harm. He neared his lips towards each discoloration, pressing a gentle kiss to each and every one until he got them all. Once that was accomplished, he uneasily, only because he was still new to this, latched his mouth onto a puckered nipple. He got a moan as a reaction while her toes curled into the carpet, so he imagined he must've done _something_ right. Alternating on sucking and licking the one, he continued his careful ministrations of kneading the other, amazed at how it couldn't even fit into his hand.

He had to admit, this was definitely getting overheated for both of them, but the desire running through his system would not make them stop. Her reactions only made him go further, kiss her harder, lick her quicker, touch her like he'd never touched her before. Switching breasts, he knew he'd have to move things along soon, because his pants were growing relatively tight.

"W-Wait..." Ichigo suddenly stuttered, pulling away from her chest. Orihime was in too much of a daze to entirely notice, but her breasts did feel a lot colder now that he had removed himself from them. In fact, he pulled out of their embrace entirely to undo the rest of his buttons and toss his shirt off next to where hers lay, and rummaged through his school bag for an even smaller bag. Orihime watched him heatedly do whatever he was doing, yet let herself fall backwards onto the bed, her head hitting the pillow. Although he was doing something completely serious at the moment, he still wanted to smirk at how she was laid out. Just like her own present just for him.

"I got you a something..." He told her, crawling on top of her and settling himself between her legs. Orihime was intrigued at first, until he lay down on top of her like that, which sent another shiver coursing through her body. If she wasn't mistaken, there was something noticeably hard that came in contact with her, but for the current moment, she resigned to blushing and temporarily putting it aside.

"Hm..." She hummed, looking at him curiously with half-lidded eyes as he rested his chin on the plane of her stomach. "What is it?"

"Open it for yourself."

So Orihime did so, opening the bag and small box inside without having them have to shift around otherwise. Inside the box contained the necklace with the silver and rhinestones. Eyes growing wide, her mouth went slack at its beauty, tears brimming her eyes once again.

"Kurosaki-kun..." She breathed, pulling the chain and pendant out of the box. He dropped the box and bag back on the floor to make more space for the two, all while giving a small smile.

"One year," he told her in a quiet voice, his eyes showing nothing but love.

"One... year?" She asked, clearly confused. Somehow he wasn't surprised. Orihime was never good with dates.

"We've been together one year on this date."

Her grip on the necklace tightened significantly as her eyes grew even wider. "I-Is it really?" Her voice squeaked, obviously growing in alarm that she hadn't remembered it. "I-I'm so sorry, I didn't do anything for-" Easily silencing her with a kiss, Ichigo continued to smile.

"Being with you is good enough for me," he told her in all honesty, prying the jewelry from her hands. "Even all this is probably too much." Orihime assumed he meant their current state of dress and actions as being 'too much', but her mind couldn't help but drift back to his hollow's words, how Ichigo wanted to really be one with her. Lifting her neck slightly, she felt his hands wrap around the back of her neck while he shifted his body upward, bringing his lips just by her earlobe. But the particular way he changed his position made him grind unintentionally against her, and she threw a hand up to her mouth to stifle no doubt, an embarrassing moan.

"I-I'm still so sorry..." She mumbled, croaking the words out as she heard the faint clink of the clasp being hooked together. "E-Earlier this week-" His lips silenced her with another kiss, not wanting to worry about right that right now.

"Don't be," he mumbled against her lips, his right hand drifting back down to squeeze her breast. "At least it was my body..." Kneading it, his thumb and index finger found her rosy tip and began to tug on it lightly. He was definitely aware of the affect it had on her. "I don't know what I'd do if it was some other bastard though..." He brokenly admitted before grinding into her again, his straining bulge in his pants casually rocking against her core. A loud moan escaped her and all she did was throw her hands to her mouth in mortification. Shaking his head at her silly antics, Ichigo lowered his lips to kiss the pendant now nestled between her breasts. In complete honesty, he was _so_ glad she chose him of all people.

With her hands attempting to run over his bare chest when they could, Ichigo tried to tug the zipper on her skirt down as best he could with only one hand. Luck may have it, as they were easy to slip down and remove, leaving his auburn goddess in nothing but suspiciously pink panties, ones with a small strawberry embroidered on the front. He was stuck between embarrassment and pride, but it really wasn't a battle fairly won. Raising an eyebrow to her, she sheepishly giggled.

"And you didn't wear these things on purpose today?" He inquired, fingers toying with the hem of her underwear. Shaking her head, she grew even redder in mortification and pulled his head back up to hers, crashing their lips together. She didn't care if it accidentally hurt; she just didn't want her to look at her so dangerously from afar. She wanted his lips where she could see them, and she could see them best when they were tight against hers, angling his face side to side to find their deepest way to kiss.

Shyly touching her tongue with his, Orihime's hands drifted from his cheeks to his back, her nails raking over his flesh as he continued his onslaught of touches. The kiss, the hand to her breast, and the way he kept connecting his lower abdomen with hers only made her cheeks flush harder, the curl of heat in her body only growing hotter and hotter, with absolutely no end or relief in sight.

"Please..." She whimpered, her hands shaking from the feeling of lust and want. "Kurosaki-kun..." She tried to encourage him, which seemed to work as he started to swear up a string of curses, his hands dropping what they were doing before tearing off her panties from her hips. She squeaked in protest, but he muffled that shriek with his lips yet again as he continued to fumble with his own pants. Her innocent little pleads had his eyes rolling to the back of his head, just about to lose it himself if he hadn't done something about it and _quick._

Removing his pants and his cotton boxers, his previously straining length sprung free, allowing him to hiss in relief from the previous denim cage. Orihime couldn't help but look down and blush hard. She had already seen it before, earlier this week, but just like everything else this time, it was completely different. She forced her eyes back to his though, reminding herself that if she didn't want him to stare at her earlier, she wouldn't stare at him.

"You're sure about this...?" He asked cautiously, sweat rolling down his cheek. Clearly he was more than ready for this, but he didn't want to be an ass and not ask one last time. Nodding, Orihime pursed her lips and quietly cried out pleads for him to continue on.

So just then, being quick about it rather than slow and deliciously agonizing, he forced himself into her, feeling a power suddenly course through him. If he had taken a moment to define what it was, he would realize it was his hollow, awake and eager to go along for the ride. He hadn't cared in the slightest at this moment, and instead, pulled himself out just a bit before pushing himself back in, fitting inside her like a glove.

"Oh, fuck..." He groaned, burying his face in her neck. "So tight..."

Funny how those same words came right back around for Orihime.

"Orihime..." He called out to her, saying her first name for the first time as he started the pattern of thrusting in and out of her. "Orihime..." Both his hands travelled downwards, past her hips, to grip her bottom, squeezing it in time with his pushing.

She couldn't help but call out his given name, the syllables stuttered due to his pounding into her and her breasts heaving to regain her breath. "I-Ichigo..." Moaning, she clutched at his bright hair, her face to her ears as red as they could be as she felt that annoying little coil grow even tighter, the slightly painful but incredibly pleasurable one. "Ichigo..." She could feel his tongue darting out to lap at the bite mark from earlier, not meaning any harm, but wanting only to soothe her pain. Crying out in slight distress, her grip on his lean form grew tighter and her back curved higher, her front side pressing hard against his. Squeezing her again, Ichigo pounded into her relentlessly, feeling something ready to burst.

"H-Hime..." He cried out her name, suckling on her neck. "Orihime, I-I think I..." She merely shushed him with her moans and heavy breathing, knowing just exactly what he was talking about.

"I-Ichigo!" Orihime moaned, her senses suddenly being blinded by a white, delicious fog. Her body shuddered hard as her muscles strained then relaxed themselves under her release, making her turn into jello in his arms. After a few more, short but hard thrusts into her soft, receptive body, Ichigo froze inside her, releasing his own load. His muscles did just the same, relaxing as if he was melting into butter, while his vision grew dark and his eyes closed.

The sound of their panting was the only noise in the room, aside from the occasional creak of her bed as he shifted them around. He never imagined being with her like _this_ would ever have felt so good, it made his mind go crazy. Since they were still tired, he lazily flipped them around so he was on his back and she could rest on his chest. She gasped upon the initial, unexpected move, but seemed to settle in nicely after a few moments.

His arms around her never felt so right before, and Ichigo couldn't help but smile at all of this. It was amazing. No, it was more than amazing... It was more indescribable. His feelings for the woman with him transcended boundaries he never knew he would dare to cross, and it quite honestly made his heart soar.

"... Hime-"

"I love you..." Orihime cut in, mumbling as she lay on his rising and falling chest. "So much..." While she had uttered those words a few times before, he never felt them as real as he did now. Placing his hand on hers, Ichigo made her look up at him in a bit of confusion, but more than anything, compassion and true love. Pressing a kiss to his lips, he smiled against her, holding her tight.

"I love you too... Orihime."

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End file.
